Chapter Text
Josh is so done, and there are no puns he can make to feel any less done with everything. He's picked up a few more hours since school let out, he ignores his parents questions about school and life and why he hadn't been hanging out with that Robert boy anymore.
Because Robert didn't exist. It was all a lie.
For the first few days after the incident he'd lied to himself, hoping it was a fluke, waiting for a phone call or a text that Robert was just messing with him.
Then he realised that Robert was Tyler, and that wasn't going to happen.
Tyler
He had tried to throw out all of his old jeans and wore the one pair of sweats he'd had left even after the summer's heat set in. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw the name on his leg and wanted to scratch it off of his skin. It still itched sometimes like his fingers when his phone buzzed.
Debby was quiet and calm but cautious around Josh. She stopped asking about Robert when he told her, she didn't know how to help. Josh felt himself ghosting around his life, watching himself pour milk and cereal and watching himself drive to work and watching himself struggle to sleep without any nightmares about trees and blurry faces creeping into his subconscious.
Josh felt hollow, more incomplete than he'd felt before he'd known, before he'd met Tyler.
He struggled to connect Tyler to the face he'd learned so well as Robert. To the stupid crooked smiles and stupid fuzzy faux hawk hair and stupid soft lips and it was stupid.
Tyler was a stupid name.
Josh was told to go home after the third time he knocked over the display of guitar straps because he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to even watch where he was walking. He just nodded and clocked out, not really wanting to head home, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. He wandered outside slowly, hearing a quiet guitar as he neared his car.
No, not a guitar-
A ukulele.
Josh felt his veins constrict, his fingers twitched, he shivered in the warm evening air.
'Wise men say....only fools rush in...'
Josh turned around to see Rob-Tyler, standing there with his eyes squeezed shut, his hands working in time with his voice as he sang.
'But I...can't help...falling in love with you.'
Josh felt himself tremble, he couldn't look away from Tyler.
'Darling so it goes...some things were meant to be'
Josh felt overcome with the soft drawl of the instrument and the light lingering words and he couldn't believe his own ears or eyes or anything.
'Take my hand....take my whole life too....'cause I can't help, falling in love with you..'
"No I can't help....falling in love...with....you." Tyler's voice trembled, he lowered his instrument, his hands shaking and Josh knew he must be as well. Without a second thought, Josh was stepping forward, towards the other young man. Fear flashed against his mind for a moment as Tyler's eyes opened, but it was gone as soon as it had come and all there was, was Tyler. Not Robert. Tyler.
Josh found himself sliding his arms around Tyler's waist and pulling him close, their hearts were beating double time, and Josh could feel it against his own and knew he was meant to. It should have been an awkward embrace with the ukulele's tuning pegs digging into Josh's back but he didn't want to let go. Ever.
"I'm so sorry Josh...I was just...I was so scared and I-I'm so stupid." Tyler said, barely a whimper to Josh. Josh refused to let go, he knew deep down it would take awhile to trust Tyler with some things, but he also knew he couldn't deny Tyler anything. "I just-I missed you so much it hurt....Everytime I saw your name I-"
"I wanna see it." Josh found himself cutting Tyler off and he almost made a pathetic sound as Tyler pulled away slowly.
"See...see what?"
"Your soulmark...I-"
"Oh...okay...but uhm...I can't show you here?" Tyler gestured to the parking lot. He was blushing lightly, his hands were still shaking and there were Bandaids on his fingers. Josh wanted to kiss them better. He wanted to kiss Tyler.
"Where is it?" Josh asked, curious now, trying to think back to the first time they touched. Tyler pointed to his thigh and Josh bit his lip to keep from smiling as he remembered running into him, literally. Tyler laughed lightly, and gestured to the ukulele.
"I meant all of that...y'know? I-i know it's not my words...but...I meant it. Josh, I'm sorry I was so afraid of...liking you....but I can't imagine living another day thinking you hate me and hating myself for lying to you an-"
Josh moved to press his lips to Tyler's, shivering at the spark that came with the movement, and Tyler let him kiss him, and he didn't run away. Not this time. Never again.
6:23.
Forever began.